Tuesday, December 14, 2004

let there be life

In the scale of fundamental human realities, the listing in the ascending order is life, health, love—and everything else that come thereafter. Lest the right perspective of this listing be erroneously appreciated, let it be expressly said that taking away the fundamental reality of life therefrom, and everything else goes crumbling. For without life, what is there?

Even those who shout let there be death can only do this because they have life. It is rather easy for someone to favor death penalty when his own life is not at stake. When they are about to die, it will certainly be another story: they will fight for their life!

This is certainly not in defense of heinous crimes, not in protection of heinous criminals. This is simply in promotion of life. When parents have to punish their children for wrongdoing, they do not kill them. They simply correct them precisely in order to straighten their lives. In the same way, criminals should be punished but not killed. This way they get the chance to amend their lives for their own good and that of all others they relate with.

Just as Christ was listened to by some and despised by others to the extent that he himself was killed, so too the church repeatedly and insistently proclaiming the supremacy of life, are followed by some and ridiculed by others. But the church will definitely never stop in teaching the truth, come what may. She has no option to do otherwise. She is given a mission by her founder and faithful she will be to this task till the end of time.

This is one thing “bad” with the church: she has all the time to teach, all the time to wait, all the time to live. While those who oppose, malign and hate her even, one by one ultimately stop breathing and cease living, the church simply continues on and on and on—to teach the truth, to promote justice, to defend life.

Those whose church is anti-life and pro-death, are unfortunately in the wrong church.

Oscar Cruz

About The Blogger

Most Reverend Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. is the Archbishop-Emeritus of Lingayen-Dagupan. He is currently the Judicial Vicar of the National Tribunal of Appeals. He is a prolific writer, having published several dozen books mostly on judicial and moral matters. His most recent book is about the Social Doctrines of the Church. He also has a blog where he posts regularly. He is an avid coin collector and dabbles in woodworking art.